As is known, when a catastrophe or other extreme situation strikes a particular geographic area, tremendous stress is placed on the resources of the area. The catastrophe or other extreme situation may be weather-related, such as an encounter with a hurricane or typhoon, tornado, severe storm, or the like; geology-related, such as a volcanic eruption, earthquake, tsunami, or the like; naturally induced, such as an avalanche, mudslide, landslide, or the like; structurally related, such as a building collapse or structure collapse; and/or a result of human activity, such as a bombing, an act of war, or the like; and so forth.
As a result of such a catastrophe or other extreme situation (hereinafter, ‘catastrophe’), and as should be understood, water, electricity, communications, and/or other utility services may be disrupted, as may be transportation systems, infrastructure, governmental services, and/or other needed resources. Moreover, such disruptions to such needed resources can occur during the catastrophe and can extend for days, weeks, or even months and years thereafter. As may be appreciated, such disruptions to such needed resources are especially acutely felt, both because of the loss of the resources, and also because the resources are likely especially needed, particularly to recover from the catastrophe.
One type of resource of particular interest in connection with such a catastrophe is communications resources between the particular geographic area in which the catastrophe has struck and the external world away from such catastrophe area. As may be appreciated, such external communications is likely vitally necessary, both to request assistance from the external world away from the catastrophe area, and also to allow the external world to obtain status on the catastrophe area. For an example of the former, with such external communications, medical supplies and emergency building materials may be requested. For an example of the latter, with such external communications, recovery aid and equipment may be targeted to appropriate locations within the catastrophe area.
Of course, internal and external communications in the catastrophe area is likely disrupted and therefore limited as a result of the catastrophe. In particular, telephone lines may have been severed, and wireless communications towers may have been destroyed or disabled. Additionally, such communications relies on the availability of electricity, both to operate centralized equipment and also to operate client equipment, and such electricity may also be disrupted. Moreover, the demand for such communications may be high and yet such communications availability may be limited, with the result being that such communications where available may be jammed with attempts to establish communications connections. As a result, such communications resources though perhaps available on a limited basis may be effectively not available on a reliable basis.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method for taking advantage of what limited communications are available within a catastrophe area to communicate with the external world. In particular, a need exists for a system and method that allows one of a plurality of communications devices within the catastrophe area to act as a network gateway device when such one device achieves external communications, and that allows the gateway device to form a network with a plurality of other communications devices within the catastrophe area such that each other communications device in the network can achieve external communications by way of the network gateway device. More particularly, a need exists for such a system and method where any of the plurality of communications devices can be the gateway device for the network if an opportunity to do so arises.